There's an article in todays Daily Telegraph about the number of koala bears being killed by cars. This led Paul, my colleague in work, to ask if I knew any songs about koala bears. I can't think of any. Anybody?

There's the theme song of the cartoon "The Adventures of the Little Koala" (Japanese; dubbed in English; ran on the Nickelodeon cable channel 1987-1992):

Brand new day, time to play with Roobear and his friends. Where summer never ends. Koalas show you how to fly a plane, catch a wave, there's nothing we won't try. Lots to do, fun starts here with you and me... Look up there, way up high, koalas in balloons, laughter's on its way to you... Laura, Nick and Roo, Mimi and Floppy, too…waiting here for you. Brand new day, time to play with Roobear and his friends. The fun and laughter never ends. Koalas lead the way...on a sunny day...we all love to play...

Showers pounding out a new beat I trade my old shoes for new feet I grab a new seat I don't like the one I got The fabric's wearing through And it's wearing me out You're wearing me down

Watching old baseball games And low budget telethons Ain't like watching you yourself When you yourself is on Got time to wander to waste and to whine But when it comes to you, It seems like I just can't find the time

So watch your head and then watch the ground It's a silly time to learn to swim when you start to drown It's a silly time to learn to swim on the way down

If I gave you my number Would it still be the same If I saved you from drowning? Promise me you'll never go away Promise me you'll always stay

Closed down the last local zoo I'm gonna win the endless war Over who kills the last koala bear And who in death will love him more and I He grabs me by the hand Drags me to the shore and says Maybe you don't love me But you'll grow to love me even more

And I well I'm not surprised

If I gave you my number Would it still be the same If I saved you from drowning? Promise me you'll never go away Promise me you'll always stay

Showers pounding out a new beat I trade my old shoes for new feet I grab a new seat I don't like the one I got The fabric's wearing through And it's wearing me out You're wearing me down

So watch your head and then watch the ground It's a silly time to learn to swim when you start to drown It's a silly time to learn to swim on the way down

If I gave you my number Would it still be the same If I saved you from drowning? Promise me you'll never go away Promise me you'll always stay

Kenny is a Koala bear His nose is always red Every morning he sleeps late He can't get out of bed And as it's always opening time He doesn't have to wait He has a double when he wakes Just to put him straight And just like every Koala bear He doesn't walk he weaves For his diet's alcoholic Eucalyptus leaves

Kenny is a Koala bear He doesn't walk he weaves For his diet's alcoholic Eucalyptus leaves

Once he fell out of a tree Into a passing truck He said that's clumsy, silly me What bloody awful luck Still I reckon it's a tale I can always brag-on I'll be the only koala bear To end up on the wagon

Chorus and ad lib to end

on the album Captain Beaky Volume 2 (1980) (Note on the Captain Beaky site says: "Possibly some bits mixed up / missing. Please email beakee@ihug.co.nz with any fixes...")

I wanna kling to you like a baby koala bear When I hold you close, like you want me to Baby don't run away, like a scared emu Well, I wanna give you some lovin' anyplace, anywhere I don't wanna lose you, 'cause I really care I wanna kling to you like a baby koala bear

Can't you feel my heart when I'm close to you Well, it's hoppin' so fast, like a kangaroo Well, I wanna give you some lovin' anyplace, anywhere I don't wanna lose you, 'cause I really care I wanna kling to you like a baby koala bear

Well, I got you baby, I'll never let you go I don't wanna leave you, 'cause I love you so One thing baby that I wanna do I wanna kling to you like the koala bears do

Well, now that I told you, don't you laugh at me Like the kookaburras do, and the blue gum too Well, I wanna give you some lovin' anyplace, anywhere Don't you leave me baby, 'cause I really care I wanna kling to you like a baby koala bear I wanna kling to you like a baby koala bear I wanna kling to you like a baby koala bear

Thank you. Just after posting I remembered "Tinga and Tucker" from TV. Weren't they koalas? And didn't they have a song? What was it? Boomerang zoomerang or something. Did it mention koalas? Questions, questions, questions. Oh and Sharon, thanks muchly for putting me onto the Canadian girls. May you always walk in sunshine.

Glass of milk Standing in between extinction in the cold and explosve radiating growth. So the warm blood flows Through the large four-chambered heart, Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have.

Mammal, mammal Their names are called They raise a paw The bat, the cat Dolphin and dog Koala bear and hog

One of us might lose his hair But you're reminded that it once was there From the embryonic whale to the monkey with no tail. So the warm blood flows with the red blood cells, lacking nuclei Through the large four-chambered heart Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have Mammal, mammal Their names are called They raise a paw The bat, the cat Dolphin and dog Koala bear and hog Placental the sister of her brother Marsupial Their cousin called Monotreme Dead uncle Allotheria

Mammal, mammal Their names are called They raise a paw The bat, the cat Dolphin and dog Koala bear and hog The fox, the ox Giraffe and shrew Echidna, caribou

I withdraw my earlier posting on this thread, which I realise was offensive to koalas. I have since researched the origins of some famous folksongs( availing myself of the expertise of Malcolm Douglas in these matters). THE BEAR IN THE CLEAR AIR

Bear thoughts are in my mind And my soul soars enchanted As I hear the sweet bear sing In the clear air of the daySTEWBEAR(copyright Huddie Ledbetter and Alan Lomax)

There's a big day Uh-huh Down in Brisbane Uh-huh Dont you wish you Uh huh Was there Was there You can bet your Uh huh Bottom dollar Uh-huh On that ko-a La bear La bearOLD BLUE GUM

Had an old bear And his food was blue Bet you five dollars He's a good bear tooTHE KOALA

Oh the koala's a pretty bear He sings as he chews He brings us good tidings In other words, good news He sucks eucalyptus To keep his voice clear And the more he sings"koala" The winter draws near.

Actually, the last time the classifiers and taxonomists held forth on them, they declared that Koalas were: "re-arborialised wombats"! (They cite various features in common, but principally the backwards facing pouch ... typical for subterranean burrowers ... but very dicey for tree dwellers!

Anyway, koa;s do such a good job of blending in with the bush that nobody writes about them. It took some 18 (?) years for the first Sydney colonists to even notice them ... probably only after they had cleared most of the nearby Gum trees!

Actually, the last time the classifiers and taxonomists held forth on them, they declared that Koalas were: "re-arborialised wombats"! (They cite various features in common, but principally the backwards facing pouch ... typical for subterranean burrowers ... but very dicey for tree dwellers!

Anyway, koalas do such a good job of blending in with the bush that nobody writes about them. It took some 18 (?) years for the first Sydney colonists to even notice them ... probably only after they had cleared most of the nearby Gum trees!

'Cause Blinky Bill is dying, cross him off the list Knock on doors, ring the bell, save the eucalypts I don't think I could stand the shame, Knowing that I could Have saved the world from losing Something beautiful and good

(REPEAT CHORUS)

One doctor on the job is hardly enough One little hospital, wake up Australia It's our corner of the world, Time to pull our weight What would we tell our children About our little mate?

Oh goodbye Bunyip Bluegum, goodbye Blinky Bill And beautiful little Nutsie, I can't believe it Our koalas are all dying, can it really be? A national disaster, a world catastrophe

I gather that yesterday (Friday, July 26th, Down Under), was some kind of National Koala Awareness Day - and that a nearby district "Pine Rivers Shire" in SE Queensland, has the largest number of "urban-dwelling" koalas in Australia (or some such claim-to-fame) and they even have Koala Ambulances now!!!

If you go into the bush today you're in for a big surprise. If you go into the hills today you'll never believe your eyes; For every tree that ever there was and every bear has gone because Me an' my mates are having a wonderful picnic.

Mrs Koala packed the lunch and then she said goodbye. All she had was a bunch of leaves,she's gone away to die; And in the trees where nobody sees I do my work, I do as I please Today's the day my chain saw's having its picnic.

Written by Jan Wositzky 1986 There's more but I didn't type it all out, it would have taken me all night and this is the bit about koalas anyway. The 80's saw many songs protesting about forest logging. But the wombat is still my favourite animal.....

Blackcatter on 27 Jul 02 asks for songs about the platypus. I know one song that references that animal, Oedipus Rex, by Tom Lehrer. And you may end up like Oedipus/I'd rather marry a duck-billed platypus/Than end up like old Oedipus Rex.